-- TIMMERMANS WON THE GAME AGAINST JUNCKER - JĘDRZEJ BIELECKI in RZ: “But time also began to play against the Polish authorities. The rule of law dispute was supposed to be resolved as the European Parliament campaign gained momentum. Timmermans himself hoped to be the European socialists' candidate to succeed Juncker in it. However, given that his own party was in deep opposition in the Netherlands, he didn't have many arguments for it other than maintaining the dispute with Poland. The Dutchman, who participated in election rallies for Robert Biedroń's Wiosna (Spring) party in April, and will take part in the SLD campaign in Warsaw in May, did not hide his political commitment at all. His ruthlessness on the Polish issue was meant to contrast with the European People's Party's (EPP) retention of Viktor Orbán's Fidesz by Timmermans' main competitor for Juncker's succession, Manfred Weber.” https://www.rp.pl/Unia-Europejska/305059967-Juncker-chcial-szczytu-KE-PiS-Timmermans-storpedowal-pomysl.html

-- CAPITALISM'S INSTITUTIONS ARE BETTER ENTRENCHED THAN DEMOCRACY'S - LESZEK JAŻDŻEWSKI IN CONVERSATION WITH MICHAŁ SUTOWSKI in KRYTYKA: “Poles seem more attached to consumer choices in supermarkets than political ones at the ballot box – during good economic times, the mere ‘defense of democracy’ will not topple the government. But above all, we see that capitalism's institutions are better entrenched than democratic ones…”

-- WE WERE LEFT WITH A LARGE STATE THAT WE CANNOT AFFORD - JAŻDŻEWSKI CONTINUES: “The second point is the attitude towards the state. In the early 1990s, the dominant attitude was to turn away from it – it's best to strip it of as many competencies as possible, and everything else will sort itself out. At the same time, citizens did not wish for the scope of state activity to be limited to the contributions we made to it. Mentally, we were left with a large state, but in reality, we couldn't maintain it at a good level – today, healthcare is short by a few percent.”

-- FREE POLAND, THROUGH CATECHESIS AND ANACHRONISTIC TEXTBOOKS, RAISED THE MOST NATIONALIST GENERATION - JAŻDŻEWSKI CONTINUES at SUTOWSKI'S: “It's all the easier to return mentally to the PRL [Polish People's Republic] if the state pursued socialist policies in content, but national in form, and to some extent in content as well. A certain canon of thinking has remained unchanged, because when I attended school in free Poland, I had the same classes as my parents 30 years earlier. Therefore, it is not a surprise to me that it was free Poland, through catechesis and those anachronistic Polish textbooks, that raised the most nationalist generation.”

-- POLAND IS READY FOR PROPERTY TAX - JAŻDŻEWSKI CONTINUES: “From taxes, from what else… In my opinion, Poland is ready for property taxation with a cadastral tax. This would improve the rationality of urban development and would be fairer than burdening labor. Even a liberal will agree that property and land should be taxed, because land simply has a limited surface area…. The second point is environmental taxes: it is impossible to defend the thesis from a liberal standpoint that discharging sewage into a river by agreement incurs no costs. Furthermore, in Poland, large corporations practically pay no taxes.”

-- EVERY DAY OF PIŚ BRINGS POLAND CLOSER TO A LIBERAL REVOLUTION - JAŻDŻEWSKI'S CONCLUSION: “Tusk said at the Games of Freedom that ‘there's no point waiting for a knight in shining armor,’ and I stand by that. But whoever uses their political strength to open Polish politics to ideological and generational change will be able to walk in the glory of a victor. Every day of PiS rule brings Poland closer to a liberal revolution.” https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/rozmowa-z-leszkiem-jazdzewskim/

-- UNCERTAINTY, SUPPRESSED ENERGY, THE WORRY THAT THE OPPOSITION LACKS ENERGY, THAT IT MAY LACK THE STRENGTH TO WIN - TOMASZ SAWCZUK in KULTURA LIBERALNA: “In a sense, the content of Tusk's speech, as well as the atmosphere surrounding the meeting, perfectly illustrate the situation on the opposition's side. There were weighty words, a sense of righteousness, and the conviction of the great importance of the upcoming elections. However, there was also uncertainty, suppressed energy, a kind of helplessness in the face of the encountered problem. The form of the event suggested that something very important was happening – everyone was buzzing around Tusk as if he were about to utter some powerful incantations – yet the content expressed fear, disguised as concern, that the opposition lacks energy, that it may not have the strength to win.” https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2019/05/06/donald-tusk-wystapienie-3-maja/

-- MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI ON TUSK'S POLITICAL INSTINCT FAILING HIM - HE SHOULD CONSIDER WHO HE WANTS TO ASSOCIATE WITH: “If Jażdżewski's speech was not consulted with Tusk, it means that the President of the European Council's political instinct has completely failed him. Instead of returning to the Polish political scene on a white horse, he allowed an aggressive publicist, who revealed great political ambitions, to steal his show. If Tusk wants to seriously return to Polish politics, he should consider who he wants to associate with. Because the company he chose on May 3rd does not add to his credibility.”

-- SCHETYNA REALIZED HE NEEDS TO GIVE THE EUROPEAN COALITION CAMPAIGN NEW IMPETUS - SZUŁDRZYŃSKI CONTINUES: “But this missed opportunity is not only Tusk's problem. It is also a trouble for the European Coalition. Grzegorz Schetyna has begun to realize that he needs to give the EC campaign new impetus. That is why he has started talking about issues that affect Poles daily – queues at the doctor's or EU budget negotiations. His speeches in recent days have shown that he is beginning to engage in dialogue with voters on a completely new level. Friday's event at the University of Warsaw did not help him much in this regard, and both the Civic Platform spokesperson and the Polish People's Party leader had to explain themselves regarding Jażdżewski's words.” https://www.rp.pl/Analizy/190509763-Szuldrzynski-Zmarnowana-szansa-Tuska.html

-- WITH PALIKOT'S WORDS AND VIEWS - RZ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF BOGUSŁAW CHROBOTA ON JAŻDŻEWSKI'S ENTRY INTO POLITICS: “So, how is Jażdżewski entering politics? With the words and views of Janusz Palikot. There was little finesse in his speech, but rather consistent and predatory anti-clericalism. Jażdżewski described the Polish Church in terms of unreconciled pedophilia, mammon, and political involvement. According to Jażdżewski, such a Church has no right to moral leadership. Are these the views of a commentator? Or nascent elements of a program for someone who is circling around Tusk? If they are the views of a commentator, it would be appropriate to ask where people like Father Ludwik Wiśniewski or Maciej Zięba, for example, fit into this vision of the Church's role. Because there are thousands of others.”

-- A RELIGIOUS WAR WILL NOT SERVE THE CAMPAIGN - CHROBOTA CONTINUES: “A campaign that no religious war will serve. The de facto leader of the opposition, Grzegorz Schetyna, knows this very well. Donald Tusk likely understands it too. Jażdżewski should therefore be sent to Schetyna's lessons. The small problem is that the latter would probably not accept him. It is even more surprising that Tusk tolerates his presence. This may indicate either his lack of political plans, or that he once read Makuszyński and understands that a billy goat is just childish entertainment. Just an innocuous and unimportant, albeit very boastful, appetizer to real politics.” https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/190509781-Bezbozne-dziecie-Janusza-Palikota.html

-- OLD METHODS ARE NOT ENOUGH - JACEK KARNOWSKI WRITES THAT THE WAR AGAINST "LEFT-WING AGGRESSION" CAN BE WON: “This problem – left-wing aggression, left-wing fury (rabies) – must be brought to the center of right-wing thinking; it must perhaps become the most important point of reference for the Polish right, for the independence camp. Old methods, an old approach, are no longer sufficient. This is an attack so strong that it must be met with an adequate response. This matter must therefore be considered comprehensively, it must be re-diagnosed, and then translated into concrete actions, into various policies. Not only because it is morally necessary, but also because it is a necessary condition for survival. Inaction guarantees the right wing only one thing: contempt and the necessity of civilizational capitulation on the entire front. This war can truly be won. https://wpolityce.pl/m/spoleczenstwo/445321-prawica-musi-stanac-do-walki-z-lewicowa-wscieklizna-pilnie

-- JAŻDŻEWSKI HARMED MORE THAN HELPED - PAWEŁ WROŃSKI in GW: “The image of a group being insulted, humiliated, and struggling against various dark forces is PiS's favorite rhetorical figure. In this sense, Jażdżewski gained a boisterous fame, although he probably did more harm than good.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,24754577,swinia-a-sprawa-polska-czyli-co-naprawde-powiedzial-leszek.html

-- TVP ATTACKS TUSK WITH HITLER - GW FRONT PAGE: "Wiadomości" (News) on TVP linked Donald Tusk with Hitler and Stalin and portrayed him as a traitor paid by German money. In doing so, they violated the media law and the principles of public television ethics.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,24754591,tvp-atakuje-tuska-hitlerem-lamiac-ustawe-medialna-i-swoje-zasady.html

-- PRIME MINISTER, TAKE THE TEST - TOMASZ PIETRYGA in RZ FRONT PAGE: “Mateusz Morawiecki should quickly and unequivocally define the government's policy towards small businesses. Therefore, if his earlier declarations are important, he should speak out. Unequivocally define the state's policy towards small businesses. Should entrepreneurial citizens start to be afraid, or rather count on the state creating favorable conditions for their development?” https://www.rp.pl/Opinie/305069975-Jaka-jest-polityka-rzadu-wobec-malych-firm---pyta-Tomasz-Pietryga.html

-- IN A DEMOCRACY, ONE CANNOT INTERFERE IN THE SPHERE OF ADJUDICATION - MAREK SAFJAN in ONE (Katarzyna Barczyk, Szymon Piegza): “A judge cannot be guided by public opinion expectations, because they are not a mere executor of the public will, but primarily subordinate to the law. If a judge begins to be guided by the will of this or that social group, then we are dealing with a negation of justice. This is creating a show-case judiciary. We know such a system from the PRL era. In a free country, one can critically evaluate jurisprudence, but one must not interfere in the sphere of adjudication, as it is the exclusive domain of judges.”

-- ABOVE THE WILL OF THE DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY, WE MUST PROTECT THE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS OF EVERY PERSON - SAFJAN CONTINUES: “The idea of the rule of law is not built solely on the principles of the democratic majority. It is not the case that in a country governed by the rule of law, only the democratic majority can decide everything. The very idea of constitutional courts implies that above the will of the democratic majority, we must protect the fundamental rights of every person, regardless of what the preference of the democratically legitimized majority might be. The majority can, after all, vote for racist laws, for the death penalty, for depriving people of their right to privacy. I would be afraid of such a concept of social control.”

-- THE DATE OF THE CJEU RULING IS NOT POLITICS - SAFJAN ASSURES: “Even if the possible date of the ruling coincides with the date of one election or another, it is certainly not an element of any policy pursued by the CJEU. I can assure you of this, and the President of the Court, Koen Lenaerts, would certainly confirm it. The date of the ruling is a simple consequence of the procedure before the Court, whose successive stages, starting from the filing of the case, such as the hearing, the opinion of the Advocate General, the deliberation on the draft judgment, are outlined within strict internal timeframes. After the deliberation, the date of the ruling is determined by the time needed by the CJEU's translation services to translate the judgment into all official languages of the Union.” https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/tylko-w-onecie/prof-marek-safjan-o-slowach-premiera-gleboko-nieuzasadnione-uogolnienie/w975bs6

-- PEKAO IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY DIGITAL - RZ: “The third largest bank in Poland is catching up on digitalization shortcomings from previous years. This process is occurring on many levels, including through branch transformation, the development of personalized digital channels, simplification of sales processes, and customer service.” https://www.rp.pl/Banki/305059953-Pekao-staje-sie-coraz-bardziej-cyfrowe.html

-- BIRTHDAYS: Frans Timmermans, Witold Bereś, Janusz Cieszyński, Stanisława Prządka, Marcin Zawiła, Krzysztof Sońta.